The London Lounge

I'm looking for ideas for an odd jacket for the summer. any thoughts?

I already have one in linen, which I love, but want something which I can treat with a little less respect without fear of creasing it too much. I want something versatile, which I can wear with anything from jeans, to chinos, to super 100s.

one thought is corduroy - in a beige or light brown - but my tailor has advised that cord will also crease (being cotton), and tends to be quite high maintenance because of the nature of the weave.

all suggestions welcome!

Sartorius - you've got a ton of options. The woolen frescos and the open hopsacks could suit if you want a plain fabric,their advantages being textrure and porosity. Taking one step out and looking for pattern, Porter Harding's Glorious 12th, any of the Lesser or H&S collections in weights less than 11 ounces should serve.

Really, too many things to consider without narrowing down the parameters some.

DDM

thanks DDM.

parameters is tricky - I can tell you what I don't want, but not so easily what i do!

the main thing is it has to be casual, but also understated and not too patterned (eg not herringbone) but I don't mind a bit of texture as long as it's subtle.

at risk of sounding like a difficult client who has no idea what he wants, what other parameters would you suggest?

When in doubt and for an odd jacket I'll always go with a windowpane. I have great P&H light olive cloth with a fairly vibrant blue overcheck. I took a look at the Holland & Sherry site and something like 476016 may be a touch more mellow.

http://www.hollandandsherry.com/collect ... hs167.html

Have fun,
DDM

Check out the Smith's fresco book for ideas. They have some vibrant solids that may make up well as odd jackets.

thanks DDM. haven't looked at the H&S site before so will have a browse.

thanks bry. do smiths have a website?

also, who are P&H? I know Scabal, Wain Shiell, Lessers, Dormeuil, and Holland & Sherry, but not sure who P&H are?

Porter and Harding

P&H = Porter & Harding and that Glorious 12th looks like a great book, although I have not had anything made up from it for myself.

The Smith Frescos are called Finmeresco and are reatively new. Apparantly, the NY tailors don't have the books here, although I saw them when Dege brought them on their recent NY visit. Alden has written about them in a long thread called something like "Smith's New Fresco" It is current so you should have no trouble finding it. I am a big fan of H&S's Crispaire line, but the Smith 's would be better for your purposes (assuming you wanted to use a fresco) because there is a broad range of beautifully saturated summer colors unusual for a fresco line (much more than I have ever seen in one line - it is almost as broad as a gabardine line) and the hand is much softer and drapey. The Crispaire is a bit stiffer and crisper (which is part of its appeal for a summer suit that you don't want to wilt).

thanks. have asked for some P&H and Smiths samples in beige and light brown. will let you know what I think.

For marginally lighter weight than Glorious 12th and a less tweedy look, try Hardy Riviera.

For very light weight, the P&H Solway book looks tantalizing.

How about beige seersucker? Just a thought.

sartorius wrote:I'm looking for ideas for an odd jacket for the summer. any thoughts?

I already have one in linen, which I love, but want something which I can treat with a little less respect without fear of creasing it too much. I want something versatile, which I can wear with anything from jeans, to chinos, to super 100s.

one thought is corduroy - in a beige or light brown - but my tailor has advised that cord will also crease (being cotton), and tends to be quite high maintenance because of the nature of the weave.

all suggestions welcome!

Concordia wrote:For marginally lighter weight than Glorious 12th and a less tweedy look, try Hardy Riveira.

For very light weight, the P&H Solway book looks tantalizing.

I was trying to remember whose book the "Riviera" was - do check it out. There are some very simple windowpanes and some really nice and easy gunchecks.

DDM

Sartorius, I wonder what your tailor meant by 'high maintenance' of corduroy. When chosen well, you can have an excellent quality cloth that will last you a long time, given a reasonably careful treatment.
Also, not all cords wrinkle that much: again a matter of carefully selecting the right one.

Is corduroy legal for summer?